Thermal module

ABSTRACT

A thermal module includes a radiating fin assembly having first heat conducting sections located at a lower middle portion thereof, second heat conducting sections located adjacent to outer sides of the first heat conducting sections, first heat dissipating sections located closer to upper outer portions of the radiating fin assembly, and second heat dissipating sections located adjacent to inner sides of the first heat dissipating sections; first heat pipes each having two ends separately inserted into the first heat conducting and dissipating sections; and second heat pipes each having two ends separately inserted into the second heat conducting and dissipating sections. Therefore, heat source can be transmitted by the first heat pipes from the high-temperature lower middle portion of the radiating fin assembly to the low-temperature upper outer portions of the radiating fin assembly and quickly dissipated into ambient air without stagnating in the middle of the radiating fin assembly.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a thermal module, and more particularly to a thermal module that can have reduced volume while enabling effective transfer and dissipation of heat.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Following the progress in the semiconductor technological fields, the currently available integrated circuits (ICs) all have largely reduced volume. For an IC to process more data, the number of electronic elements provided on one unit area of the IC is several times higher than before. When the number of electronic elements on the IC is increased, the IC is subject to more heat produced by the electronic elements during the operation thereof. For example, when a central processing unit (CPU) works at its full load, the heat produced by the CPU is high enough to burn out the whole CPU. Therefore, it is an important task to develop an effective heat sink for the IC.

Generally, a heat sink is made of a metal material having high thermal conductivity. Meanwhile, to obtain an enhanced heat dissipating effect, in addition to the mounting of a cooling fan to force away the produced heat, a radiating fin assembly is also frequently adopted. The radiating fin assembly can be further provided with heat pipes to speed the heat dissipation, so that a product with IC is protected against burning out.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective and front views, respectively, of a conventional thermal module 1 that includes a radiating fin assembly 11, a plurality of heat pipes 12, and a base plate 13. The radiating fin assembly 11 consists of a plurality of radiating fins 11A, and has a heat conducting section 111 and a heat dissipating section 112. A plurality of through holes 113 are formed within the heat conducting section 111 and the heat dissipating section 112. The heat pipes 12 each have a heat conducting end 121 and a heat dissipating end 122, which are extended through the holes 113 formed in the heat conducting section 111 and the heat dissipating section 112, respectively, so as to connect to the radiating fin assembly 11. One side of the radiating fin assembly 11 with the heat conducting section 111 is in contact with one face of the base plate 13. Another face of the base plate 13 opposite to the radiating fin assembly 11 is attached to a heat-producing unit 2, so that heat produced by the heat-producing unit 2 is transferred via the base plate 13 to the heat conducting section 111 and the heat conducting ends 121 of the heat pipes 12. The heat is then conducted by the heat pipes 12 from the heat conducting ends 121 to the heat dissipating ends 122, and further transferred to the heat dissipating section 112 of the radiating fin assembly 11, from where the heat is radiated into ambient space.

While the above-structured thermal module 1 utilizes the heat pipes 12 to speed the heat conduction, the heat is not sufficiently and effectively transferred to outer portions of the radiating fin assembly 11 having relatively lower temperature. That is, part of the heat is constantly transmitted to and accumulated in a middle portion of the thermal module 1 without being effectively removed from the radiating fin assembly 11. Thus, the conventional thermal module 1 fails to provide the highest possible heat dissipating function. Moreover, in the conventional thermal module 1, the heat pipes 12 assembled to the radiating fin assembly 11 must be bent. Therefore, there would be a curved section 123 formed on each of the heat pipes 12. The curved section 123 has a radius of curvature, which must not be too small in order to avoid damaged heat conducting structures (not shown) inside the heat pipes 12 and accordingly, failed heat pipes 12. For the heat pipes 12 to assemble to the radiating fin assembly 11 without the risk of having a too small radius of curvature, it is necessary to increase the area of the radiating fins 11A of the radiating fin assembly 11. However, the radiating fins 11A with increased area and the heat pipes 12 having curved sections 123 with increased radius of curvature would inevitably increase the whole volume of the thermal module 1. When the large-volume thermal module 1 is mounted in an electronic device (not shown) to assist in heat dissipation, it would occupy a large portion of the internal space of the electronic device (not shown).

It is therefore tried by the inventor to develop an improved thermal module that not only has a radiating fin assembly with reduced area and volume, but also heat pipes being specially arranged to enable better and quicker heat dissipation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved thermal module that utilizes specially arranged heat pipes to effectively transfer and dissipate heat source and can therefore achieve upgraded heat dissipation performance.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a thermal module that can have a largely reduced volume while providing good heat transfer and dissipation effect.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a thermal module that can be manufactured at reduce cost.

To achieve the above and other objects, the thermal module according to the present invention includes a radiating fin assembly, at least one first heat pipe, and at least one second heat pipe. The radiating fin assembly has at least one first heat conducting section located at a lower middle portion thereof, at least one second heat conducting section located adjacent to an outer side of the first heat conducting section and therefore closer to a lateral lower outer portion of the radiating fin assembly, at least one first heat dissipating section located closer to a lateral upper outer portion of the radiating fin assembly, and at least one second heat dissipating section located adjacent to an inner side of the first heat dissipating section and therefore closer to an upper middle portion of the radiating fin assembly. The first heat pipe has two ends separately inserted into the first heat conducting and dissipating sections from a first end of the radiating fin assembly, and the second heat pipe has two ends separately inserted into the second heat conducting and dissipating sections from an opposite second end of the radiating fin assembly. With the special arrangements of the first and second heat pipes, the first heat conducting and dissipating sections, and the second heat conducting and dissipating sections on the radiating fin assembly, heat source with relatively higher temperature generally transferred to the lower middle portion of the radiating fin assembly is transmitted by the first heat pipe to the upper outer portion of the radiating fin assembly having a relatively lower temperature without stagnating around the middle portion of the radiating fin assembly. Therefore, the heat source can be more quickly dissipated into ambient air even if the thermal module has a reduced volume. And, with the reduced volume, the thermal module can be manufactured at reduced cost.

In brief, the thermal module of the present invention has the following advantages: (1) providing good and quick heat dissipating effect; (2) requiring only a reduced volume; (3) suitable for dissipating high amount of heat produced by a high-power device; and (4) allowing manufacturing at reduced cost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein

FIG. 1 is an assembled perspective view of a conventional thermal module;

FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a radiating fin assembly for a thermal module according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a front view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the thermal module according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an assembled view of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a front view of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is an assembled perspective view of a thermal module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Please refer to FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6 at the same time, in which a thermal module 4 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. The thermal module 4 includes a radiating fin assembly 41, at least one first heat pipe 42, and at least one second heat pipe 43. In the illustrated drawings, two first heat pipes 42 and two second heat pipes 43 are shown, and based on which the present invention will be described herein.

The radiating fin assembly 41 includes a plurality of radiating fins 41A. At least one first heat conducting section 411 (two are shown in the drawings), at least one second heat conducting section 412 (two are shown in the drawings), at least one first heat dissipating section 413 (two are shown in the drawings), and at least one second heat dissipating section 414 (two are shown in the drawings) are defined on the radiating fin assembly 41. The first heat conducting sections 411 are located at a lower middle portion of the radiating fin assembly 41, and the second heat conducting sections 412 are separately located adjacent to two lateral outer sides of the first heat conducting sections 411 and therefore farther away from the lower middle portion of the radiating fin assembly 41. The first heat dissipating sections 413 are separately located near two upper outer portions of the radiating fin assembly 41, and the second heat dissipating sections 414 are separately located adjacent to an inner side of the two first heat dissipating sections 413 and therefore closer to an upper middle portion of the radiating fin assembly 41.

The first heat pipes 42 each have a heat conducting end 421 and a heat dissipating end 422, and the second heat pipes 43 each have a heat conducting end 431 and a heat dissipating end 432. The heat conducting and dissipating ends 421, 422 of each of the two first heat pipes 42 are respectively inserted into the first heat conducting section 411 and the first heat dissipating sections 413 at the same lateral side of the radiating fin assembly 41. And, the heat conducting and dissipating ends 431, 432 of each of the second heat pipes 43 are respectively inserted into the second heat conducting section 412 and the second heat dissipating section 414 at the same lateral side of the radiating fin assembly 41. In this way, more heat dissipating paths can be sufficiently arranged within one unit area of the thermal module 4 to effectively conduct and dissipate heat transferred to the radiating fin assembly 41. Therefore, the thermal module 4 can have upgraded heat dissipation performance while having a reduced area. Thus, the space and the manufacturing cost needed by the thermal module 4 can be reduced.

Please refer to FIGS. 5 and 6, which are exploded and assembled perspective views, respectively, of the thermal module 4 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and to FIG. 7 that is a front view of FIG. 6. As shown, the thermal module 4 is formed from the radiating fin assembly 41, the first heat pipes 42, and the second heat pipes 43.

The heat radiating fin assembly 41 has a first end 44 and a second end 45 opposite to the first end 44. A plurality of through holes 451 are formed on the radiating fin assembly 41 to extend from the first end 44 to the second end 45 to provide the first and second heat conducting sections 411, 412 and the first and second heat dissipating sections 413, 414 for receiving the first and the second heat pipes 42, 43 therein. The radiating fin assembly 41 also defines an upper side 46 and a lower side 47. The first and the second heat conducting sections 411, 412 can be located at the upper or the lower side 46, 47; and the first and the second heat dissipating sections 413, 414 can be located near the lower or the upper side 47, 46 opposite to the first and second heat conducting sections 411, 412. In the illustrated drawings, the first and second heat conducting sections 411, 412 are located at the lower side 47, while the first and second heat dissipating sections 413, 414 are located near the upper side 46.

When a first heat pipes 42 is inserted into the radiating fin assembly 41 from the first end 44 thereof, the second heat pipe 43 adjacent to that first heat pipe 42 is inserted into the radiating fin assembly 41 from the second end 45 thereof. Similarly, when a first heat pipe 42 is inserted into the radiating fin assembly 41 from the second end 45 thereof, the second heat pipe 43 adjacent to that first heat pipe 42 is inserted into the radiating fin assembly 41 from the first end 44 thereof.

Moreover, the adjacent first and second heat pipes 42, 43 inserted into the same lateral side of the radiating fin assembly 41 from two opposite ends 44, 45 thereof are cross to each other. More specifically, the heat conducting end 421 and the heat dissipating end 422 of the first heat pipe 42 are inserted into the first heat conducting section 411 and the first heat dissipating section 413, respectively, from the first end 44 of the radiating fin assembly 41, while the heat conducting end 431 and the heat dissipating end 432 of the adjacent second heat pipe 43 are inserted into the second heat conduction section 412 and the second heat dissipating section 414, respectively, from the second end 45 of the radiating fin assembly 41.

A base plate 5 is assembled to the radiating fin assembly 41 at the first heat conducting sections 411 and the second heat conducting sections 412. A thermal medium is applied among the base plate 5, the first heat conducting sections 411 and the first heat pipes 42, as well as among the base plate 5, the second heat conducting sections 412 and the second heat pipes 43 to avoid any clearance among them to cause undesirable thermal resistance thereat. The thermal medium can be tin paste or other materials with good thermal conductivity.

The first heat conducting sections 411 are provided on the radiating fin assembly 41 near a lower middle portion thereof, and the second heat conducting sections 412 are provided on the radiating fin assembly 41 to separately locate adjacent to two lateral outer sides of the first heat conducting sections 411 and are therefore located farther away from the lower middle portion of the radiating fin assembly 41. And, the first heat dissipating sections 413 are provided on the radiating fin assembly 41 near two lateral upper outer portions thereof, and the second heat dissipating sections 414 are provided on the radiating fin assembly 41 to separately locate adjacent to an inner side of the first heat dissipating sections 413 and are therefore located closer to the upper middle portion of the radiating fin assembly 41.

The first heat pipes 42 are connected at their heat conducting ends 421 and heat dissipating ends 422 to the first heat conducting sections 411 and the first heat dissipating sections 413, respectively; and the second heat pipes 43 are connected at their heat conducting ends 431 and heat dissipating ends 432 to the second heat conducting sections 412 and the second heat dissipating sections 414.

The base plate 5 is connected to one of the upper and the lower side 46, 47 of the radiating fin assembly 41 that has the first and second heat conducting sections 411, 412 provided thereat. In the illustrated drawings, the base plate 5 is connected to the lower side 47 of the radiating fin assembly 41. One face of the base plate 5 opposite to the radiating fin assembly 41 is in contact with a heat-producing element (not shown) for transferring the heat source to the radiating fin assembly 41. The first heat conducting sections 411 are located atop the base plate 5 within a middle portion thereof, at where more heat is absorbed to produce relatively higher temperature. On the other hand, the second heat conducting sections 412 are located atop the base plate 5 at positions some distance away from the middle portion and therefore having relatively lower temperature. That is, with the present invention, the largest part of the heat source transferred via the base plate 5 to the lower middle portion of the radiating fin assembly 41, that is, the first heat conducting sections 411, is conducted by the first heat pipes 42 to the first heat dissipating sections 413, which are closer to the lateral upper outer portions of the radiating fin assembly 41 and therefore have relatively lower temperature, enabling quicker diffusion of the heat source transferred thereto. That is, by conducting the heat source from locations of the radiating fin assembly 41 having relatively higher temperature to locations of the radiating fin assembly 41 having relatively lower temperature, the thermal module 4 can have upgraded overall heat dissipation performance.

With the special arrangements of the first and second heat conducting sections 411, 412 and the first and second heat dissipating sections 413, 414 on the radiating fin assembly 41, as well as the crossing arrangement of the first heat pipes 42 relative to the second heat pipes 42, 43 when they are inserted into the radiating fin assembly 41, even if the radiating fins 41A each are reduced in area, the thermal module 4 of the present invention can still provide heat dissipation performance superior to that of the conventional thermal modules.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a thermal module 4 according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is generally structurally similar to the previously described preferred embodiment, except that the radiating fins 41A of the radiating fin assembly 41 each are provided at two lateral sides with a first bent edge 48 and a second bent edge 49.

The present invention has been described with some preferred embodiments thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications in the described embodiments, such as changes in the configuration or the arrangements of the components thereof, can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims. 

1. A thermal module, comprising a radiating fin assembly, at least one first heat pipe, and at least one second heat pipe; the radiating fin assembly being provided at a predetermined position with at least one first heat conducting section and at least one second conducting section, and at another predetermined position with at least one first heat dissipating section and at least one second heat dissipating section; the at least one first heat conducting section being located at a middle portion of the radiating fin assembly, and the at least one second heat conducting section being located adjacent to an outer side of the first heat conducting section and therefore farther away from the middle portion of the radiating fin assembly; the at least one first heat dissipating section being located near an outer portion of the radiating fin assembly, and the at least one second heat dissipating section being located adjacent to an inner side of the first heat dissipating sections and therefore closer to the middle portion of the radiating fin assembly; and the at least one first heat pipe having two ends separately inserted into the at least one first heat conducting section and the at least one first heat dissipating section, and the at least one second heat pipe having two ends separately inserted into the at least one second heat conducting section and the at least one second heat dissipating section.
 2. The thermal module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a base plate assembled to the at least one first heat conducting section and the at least one second heat conducting section of the radiating fin assembly.
 3. The thermal module as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a thermal medium applied among the first heat conducting section, the first heat pipe, and the base plate, as well as among the second heat conducting section, the second heat pipe, and the base plate.
 4. The thermal module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radiating fin assembly has a first end and a second end, and the first and second heat conducting sections and the first and second heat dissipating sections are of a plurality of through holes extended from the first to the second end of the radiating fin assembly; and wherein when the at least one first heat pipe is inserted into the first heat conducting and dissipating sections from the first end of the radiating fin assembly, the at least one second heap pipe is inserted into the second heat conducting and dissipating sections from the second end of the radiating fan assembly.
 5. The thermal module as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the two ends of the first heat pipe is a heat conducting end for inserting into the first heat conducting section while the other end is a heat dissipating end for inserting into the first heat dissipating section; and one of the two ends of the second heat pipe is a heat conducting end for inserting into the second heat conducting section while the other end is a heat dissipating end for inserting into the second heat dissipating section.
 6. The thermal module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radiating fin assembly has an upper side and a lower side, and the first and second heat conducting sections can be provided closer to any one of the lower and upper sides while the first and second heat dissipating sections are provided closer to the other side.
 7. The thermal module as claimed in claim 2, wherein the radiating fin assembly has an upper side and a lower side, and the first and second heat conducting sections can be provided closer to any one of the lower and upper sides while the first and second heat dissipating sections are provided closer to the other side.
 8. The thermal module as claimed in claim 3, wherein the radiating fin assembly has an upper side and a lower side, and the first and second heat conducting sections can be provided closer to any one of the lower and upper sides while the first and second heat dissipating sections are provided closer to the other side.
 9. The thermal module as claimed in claim 4, wherein the radiating fin assembly has an upper side and a lower side, and the first and second heat conducting sections can be provided closer to any one of the lower and upper sides while the first and second heat dissipating sections are provided closer to the other side.
 10. The thermal module as claimed in claim 5, wherein the radiating fin assembly has an upper side and a lower side, and the first and second heat conducting sections can be provided closer to any one of the lower and upper sides while the first and second heat dissipating sections are provided closer to the other side. 